Question for people with lots of snails....

[julielynn47]

Pet Solutions wants 20.00 just to ship...so that is out.
Amazon seller wants 16.95 to ship and they still could take until May 9th to get them...so that is out.
I may get some from eBay. The shipping is right...free. LOL

I don't understand the high shipping rate for snails. Fish, I can understand. Plants and snails I cannot. Very light weight, Priority mail 2 to 3 day delivery, 1 pound rate, 6 something....This high shipping is nuts.
I sent a package of snails across the entire country for 6 something, delivered in a couple of days and the person said not one snail was dead. So, you know, high shipping on snails is just ridiculous to me.

 

[fluttermoth]

Will assassin snails multiply like the ramshorn?

No, they don't reproduce anywhere near as fast as the pest snails do.

Do look at how much you've been feeding your fish too; snail infestations like this are normally a sign of overfeeding. It's so easy to overestimate how much food fish actually need; I think most of us have done it at one time or another!

 

[julielynn47]

I have been overfeeding I know because it is so hard for the fish to get to any food. But this is a relatively new tank without of lot munchies you can't see for the fish to eat on.

 

[StandbySetting]

If you have a snail problem you must have a lot of detritus or left over food in the tank for them to eat, I've found that reducing feeding is the most effective way to reduce pest snails, personally though I don't mind them as long as there aren't thousands, they're a beneficial aspect to our small ecosystems.

 

[julielynn47]

I was learning to like them, even in the hundreds, until I noticed that the fish were not getting to eat their food. When the snails started taking the food away from the fish is when I started losing my love for the snails.

If I don't feed extra food the fish don't get any food at all. It is kinda of a darned if you do/darned if you don't kind of situation

 

[Byron]

A couple of comments.

First, assassin snails are not advisable. In the US particularly, there is the possibility of these getting into the natural ecosystem, and they can eliminate the natural snail species. Some areas are considering (or may now have) laws prohibiting assassin snails being imported. Regardless of the laws, we all know how hardy all snails are, and how easily they can get everywhere; so not providing for this destructive problem is best.

Second, to the initial issue...I have never had this problem with my cories (or other substrate fish, like Farlowellas and Whiptails and loaches, though the latter do deal with snails). My cory tank has hundreds of Malaysian Livebearing Snails, and a number of pond snails. The one time I decided to count all I could see it was well over a thousand MLS, not counting those in the sand substrate and out of sight behind/under all the chunks of wood. Maybe you need to change your feeding programme; I'll explain what I mean.

When I feed, I always tap lightly on the tank frame with the small spoon I use to measure out flake foods. After so many years of doing this, the fish recognize the "dinner gong" and within seconds the cories are out scampering about in anticipation.

I also tend to feed roughly the same general time each day. Fish will "learn" things like this very quickly. It is now usually about 2-3 hours after the tank lights come on, and if I happen to enter the fish room and just sit down without feeding, it is interesting that the fish, seeing my presence, begin scurrying around much more than they do at any other times I appear.

The idea behind both suggestions is that fish will be out in force to feed, and thus be more certain of getting the food.

Byron.

 

[flchamp89]

Fish will get plenty

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[StevenF]

You could try suspending a platform from the tank lid. Snails can only move along the bottom or the walls of the tank. If the food is on a platform they cannot get to, the food will sit there until the fish find it.

 

[StevenF]

You can get assign snails aquaticarts.com. I have used them before and everything has arrived alive and in good condition.

 

[julielynn47]

I checked out Aquaticarts.com. If the shipping was more reasonable I would get some. But it is, to me, just to high. But thanks for the suggestion, I really do appreciate it )

 

[Tyler_Fishman]

What is your stocking? You could always use No Planaria

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Absolutely do not put them in the pond! As Byron said(though I know he mentioned assassin's) snails can reproduce quickly. Just think...How much more food do you think the pond has for snails? Tons! It would get overrun even if the perch and other fish ate some. Never release something that's not native into the environment. Also, assassin's will reproduce. So eventually you will have a bunch of those. (Check out Rachel O'Leary's YouTube channel and she has a video all about it.)

Anyway...It's best to kill them. Though I wouldn't use No Planaria if you wanted some snails in there again. It lasts a long time in the tank for whatever reason. I would just use one of the methods above for getting them out and doing a quick kill. It's really easier than you think, especially when you think about your poor fish that don't seem to be getting food. But you will have to do this everyday for a while it sounds like to make a dent in the problem. But it is doable.

 

[julielynn47]

All I have in the 75 is one gourami and 3 cories.

I had a brainstorm last night about them. Maybe I will start selling them on ebay. LOL